1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to weed growth prevention devices and more particularly to a weed guard that prevents the growth of weeds along the bottom of a building or fence.
2. Description of the Related Art
Weeds and overgrown grass are a common problem for most typical homeowners. Overgrown grass and weeds are aesthetically unpleasing to most homeowners and also, over a period of time, cause damage to a fence or side of a home. In the past weeds and overgrown grass were removed by hand by pulling out or chopping the weeds and grass. This is a very time consuming task. Weeds are also destroyed by spraying them with chemicals but this process is very expensive and the chemicals can be dangerous themselves. Another problem with removing weeds and overgrown grass is that they will just grow back. It would be less expensive and time consuming to prevent the weeds and overgrown grass from growing around the side of a home or a fence. Several weed growth prevention devices are commonly found in the market. Examples of such devices are found in the following patent documents.
U.S. Pat. Application No. 2001/0013594 to Thompson et al. discloses a fence guard that attaches to the bottom portion of a chain-linked fence in order to prevent grass and weeds from growing between the links. The fence guard has an L-shaped cover that allows it to be placed along the bottom edge of the fencing resting on the ground and against the fence. A mowing strip extends out horizontally from the fence and serves as a shield that will prevent plant growth along the fence line.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,156 issued to Hoke discloses a self-attaching fence trim guard. The fence trim guard self adheres to the bottom portion of a chain link or wooden fence without fasteners. The walls of the elongated body are tapered towards the center having a neck for accepting the fence and a curved bottom to provide a channel on each side to rapidly drain off water. The tapered walls of the trim guard grip the fence to hold the trim guard in place. The trim guard holds the bottom of the fence elevated above drainage channels to protect the fence from moisture or termite damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,118 to Bauer discloses a lawn edging system. The law edging system positions a row of edge blocks over underlying soil along a lawn or planter edge. The edging system includes an elongated restraining channel having opposed sidewalls extending continuously along its length. The sidewalls are transversely spaced from each other to receive and hold a row of edge blocks alongside a lawn edge. The elongated channel has a floor formed from spaced floor leaves extending across the elongated channel. The sidewalls are severed and bent between the spaced floor leaves. This allows the channel to conform to a curved lawn edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,045 to Bradley et al. discloses a lawn edging strip in the form of a strip having a top edge configured for withstanding hammering, a bottom end edge that is configured for penetration into the ground and ends that are constructed for interlocking with adjacent strips. A plurality of spaced apart ribs extend from both sides of the strip and provide rigidity to the strip. The ribs taper towards the bottom edge of the strip to facilitate the penetration of the strip into the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,545 issued to Matz discloses a lawn and garden edging system. The lawn and garden edging system provides a border device for lawns with provisions for attaching watering or lighting mechanisms. An insertion structure is inserted into the ground by use of a handle that is placed into an aperture allowing an individual to stand on an upper end of the structure allowing the installer's weight to force the structure into the ground. The upper portion of the structure forms a passageway with apertures available for positioning watering or lighting components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,101 issued to Anticole discloses a modular edging and modular interconnecting fence. The interlocking edging comprises a plurality of sheet panels. An offset and double fold are located along a first edge of each panel. The double fold defines a gap that is aligned with the panel. Along the outer edge, there is an offset and double fold that defines a gap offset from the panel where the edges of two adjacent panels may be slid together to form a lock seam joint. A molded plastic fence is designed to attach to the installed edging.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a fence guard solving the aforementioned problems is desired.